1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to distillation equipment for producing sponge titanium, and in particular to distillation equipment for producing sponge titanium, which is easy to operate and energy-saving.
2. Description of the Related Art
The main technical routes for producing high quality sponge titanium include: 1. studying a process and equipment for preparing high-purity magnesium to enable fine magnesium to reach the requirements for the production of high quality sponge titanium; 2. studying a process and equipment for preparing deeply purified fine titanium tetrachloride to enable the fine titanium tetrachloride to reach the requirements for the production of high quality sponge titanium; 3. studying a process for improving the vacuum degree of a vacuum system and the tightness of reduction distillation equipment; and 4. studying a process and equipment for reduction distillation and finished product breaking to produce a satisfactory high quality sponge titanium.
At present, the production process of sponge titanium at home and abroad mainly adopts a metallothermic reduction process, which in particular refers to preparing metal M from a metal reducing agent (R) and the metal oxide or chloride (MX). Titanium metallurgy methods in which industrial production have been achieved are a magnesiothermic reduction process (Kroll process) and sodiothermic reduction process (Hunter process). Since the Hunter process leads to higher production cost than the Kroll process does, the Kroll process is more widely used in industry currently. The main processes of the Kroll process are that a magnesium ingot is placed into a reactor, heated and melted and thereafter being subjected to oxide films and impurities removal, then titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4) is introduced into the reactor, titanium particles generated by the reaction are deposited, and generated liquid magnesium chloride is discharged promptly through a slag hole. The reaction temperature is usually kept at 800° C. to 900° C., the reaction time is between several hours and several days. Residual metallic magnesium and magnesium chloride in the end product can be removed by washing with hydrochloric acid, and can also be removed by vacuum distillation at 900° C., so as to keep the purity of titanium high. The Kroll process has the disadvantages of high cost, long production cycle, and pollution of the environment, limiting further application and popularization. At present, the process has not changed fundamentally, and still belongs to intermittent production, which fails to realize continuous production, and there is no corresponding improved equipment developed, which is not conducive to further development of sponge titanium manufacturing technology.